Flaps,
Thanks for your comments. So to come back to the original question, why do the airlines require cabin crew to swim? Is it a regulatory requirement? If not why do the airlines restrict the availability of crew in this way since, as you say, the passengers couldn't care less (personally my mind is more exercised by the elaborate training that the CX girls have to go through to manage the wrap skirts they have which were obviously designed by a man - probably one sitting in the exit row opposite the crew seats
)
By the way, PBE (of a very basic type) is required in hotels in most Asian countries - why not see if one of your LH colleagues could get their hands on a few when they are next over here? They are generally in the wardrobe
By the way, I'm not "Chris" - my "handle" was "HKGpax" but we've lost them for the time being and "christep" is my login (related to my real name, but not in the way you guessed).